Improvement in electro-magnetic annunciators



UNITED STATES JACOB OAPRON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ANNUNCIA'TORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,979, dated August15,' 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB GAPRON, of New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have inv lnted a new and useful Improvement inHotel-A nuneiators, and I do hereby declare that the following' is afull and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to that class of annunciators for hotels, te.,which is operated by electricity 5 and consists in certain details ofconstruction, which will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawing, Figure I, sheet I, represents a rear elevation of myimproved annunciator; Fig. 2, sheet 2, a side elevation; Figs. 3, 4, and

l 5, sheet 2, views of parts detached; Fig. 6, sheet 3, a top view 5 andFig. 7, a front elevation.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willnow proceed to describe fully its construction and manner of operation.

This annunciator is provided with a face-plate for displaying thenumbers designating the different rooms of the house, these numbersbeing covered ordinarily by a pivoted plate hung upon one side of itspivot, which is caused to fall or swing downward for the purpose ofexposing the number, by suitable mechanism operated by wires connectingwith the different rooms. The operation of the mechanism which exposesthe number also causes a gong to sound, by which means the attention ofthe clerk is obtained. Suitable mechanism is also provided for thepurpose of restoring the covering-plates to their former positions afterthe call has been answered. The numbered display-plate, thecovering-plates, and tumblers or dogs by which the latter are operated,and also the slide and crank for restoring the coveringplates to placeagain, are each and all of them fully described in mypatent ofDecember27 1870, and they need not, therefore, be particularly referredto here. My invention in this instance particularly relates to themechanism by means of which the dogs or tumblers of the coveringplatesare permitted to fall, and also to the mechanism for operating the gong.

The mechanism for ,operating the dogs of the covering-plates is asfollows: A metallic frame, B, is caused to project at right angles fromthe supporting-board of the tumblers from a point at a suitable distanceabove each tumbler, upon whichis located an electro-magnet, the armatureof which is lconnected to the short arm of the elbow-lever O. The longarm ofthe lever O eX- tends over the tumbler, and is provided with aslight projection, c, Fig. 5, against which the long ringer a of thetumbler A rests when the covering-plate is in position. Theelectro-magnet is connected by suitable wires with any proper battery,and with the room which the number designates. At a suitable point inthe room is located a circuit-breaker consisting of a disk, D, sheet 2,provided with a knob, d, having a sliding shank through a suitablesocket, as shown. The reverse side of this disk is provided with a studhaving an insulated screw, d', to which one of the wires is connected,as shown. The other wire is directly attached to the disk in anysuitable manner.

Fromthis description it will be observed that the current is ordinarilybroken, as there is no connection made between the insulated screw d andthe disk. I/Vhen desired, however, a connection may be easily made bypressing in the knob, in which case its shank will touch the screw-pind, and thus complete the circuit. When it is desired, therefore, tonotify the clerk at the ofhce that something is wanted in the room, theoccupant thereof presses in the knob d, and thus .completing the circuitcauses the electro-magnet to act and attract its armature attached tothe elbow-lever, by which means its short arm is depressed and its longarm correspondingly raised. This elevation of the long arm of the leverdeprives the dog or tumbler of the support against which it rested, andconsequently the overbalanced covering-plate is permitted to fall.

The arrangement of wires is as follows: One main wire, m, is provided,to which one of all the pairs of wires leading from the rooms isconnected. The other wire mf of the pairs is led di` rectly to aspring-plate, a, the free end of which ordinarily rests against the sideof pin n', which is in its turn directly connected to one end of theelectro-magnet. The main wire mis iirst conducted to the electro-magnetconnected with the gong, into which a branch wireleads, and then to theother end ofthe electro-magnet. It will thus be perceived thatordinarily the circuit is complete through the electro-magnet operatingthe tumblers of the face-plates, with the exception of the break in theroom, but that this circuit does not run through the gono'. As soon,however, as the tumbler is permitted to fall, a change takes place, asfollows: The long iinger of the tumbler falls upon the free end of thespring-bar a below, and depresses it so that its contact with the pin ais broken. By this mea-ns the circuit through the electro-magnetoperating the tumblers is broken; but by means of the tumblers a aconnection is made with the metallic frame upon which the magnet rests,from which a wire leads to a plate, E, and from thence throughintermediate connections to the electro-magnet operatin g the gong. Asthe main wire m has a branch also leading to this magnet, the latter iscaused to act, and consequently its armature F is drawn down, to whichis attached the gong-hammer.

It is desirable at times to have the gong sound an alarm, and for thispurpose a peculiar construction and arrangement of parts is provided.The plate E is constructed with a socket in which moves a sliding shaftopera-.ted by a knob upon the outside of the ease. The inner end of theshaft is provided with a disk which rests eitherl aga-inst a standard, Gor G', according to its position in the socket, when drawn backward itrests against the standard G, and when thrust forward7 against thestandard G. In the former position, connection is made by means of thestandard G with the base-plate of the magnet upon which rests itsmetallic frame from which a wire leads into the coil, and a single blowis struck upon the gonfi. When in the latter position, however, thedirection of the current is changed. The wire from standard Gf leads toan insulated bar, H, which projects over the springarmature of themagnet beneath. This bar is provided with a pin, lL, which projectsdownward and rests ordinarily in contact with a curved arm attached tothe spring-armature. The latter is insulated from the bar H, but restsupon the metallic frame ofthe magnet. It therefore follows thatconnect-ion is made with the magnet through the spring-armature. Itfollows further, therefore, that as soon as the armature is depressed bythe operation of the magnet the current is broken, and consequently themagnet must cease to operate.. The spring-armature is thus permitted torise again to position, by which means connection is again made with thespring 7L. This operation is repea-ted, and the gong caused to sound solong as the current is kept complete from the room in which the call ismade. For convenience, the sliding shaft is provided with a spring andsuitable means for holding it when the latter is compressed.

This machine is simple in all its parts and not liable to get out oforder. i

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The eombin ation of alever having the armature of an electro-magnetattached thereto with the dog or tumbler A, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a swinging or droppingdog connected directly orindirectly to the gong with a spring-bar or arm connected with one ofthe room-wires, the dog and bar being relatively so arranged that thefalling ofthe former forms a new connection with the latter,substantially as described.

A dog or tumbler adapted to fall and break the circuit which hasoperated the electro-magnet that caused its fall, and further adapted,also, to form a new circuit with the gone'.

4. The metallic frame supporting the insulated electro-magnet whichoperates the dog, and connected to the gong by means substantially asdescribed.

5. The plate E with its sliding shaft, constructed as described.

6. The combination of the plate E and its shaft with the standard Gr orG', the parts being relatively arranged as described.

7. The insulated bar H, in combination with the spring armature and awire adapted to conduct a current through. the bar H, as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 13th day ot' April, 1871.

/Vitnesses:

EDWIN C. CLARKE, Tnonns Banken.

JACOB UA'PRON.

